Top Ten Star-Scored Films

A film’s soundtrack can really make or break a film, it can help us feel more than we would without it and add a whole new perspective to what we are watching. It’s particularly exciting when a popular artist writes an original score which is exactly what The Arctic Monkey’s front man Alex Turner has done.

Turner has written six new songs for Richard Ayoade’s Submarine. You will recognise Ayoade from The IT Crowd, on which he plays Maurice Moss. Submarine is his directorial début.
The Brit comedy is about a 15-year-old boy who has two objectives: To lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to stop his mother from leaving his father for her dance teacher. It looks pretty good, as does the soundtrack and made us think about which other well known musicians have lent their hand for an original score…

Who? Trent Reznor, from rock band Nine Inch Nails
What? The Social Network High note He won the 2010 Golden Globe for Best Original Score and the Academy Award for Best Original Score for his work with Atticus Ross on the film score.

Who? Daft Punk
What? Tron:Legacy High note The electronic duo composed the score for the film. When the director Kosinski was asked why he decided to have Daft Punk do the film score, he replied, "How could you not at least go to those guys?"

Who? Ben Folds, formerly front man of Ben Folds Five
What? Over the Hedge High note He wrote three original songs for it and also covered The Clash song "Lost in the Supermarket" and did a remix of "Rockin' The Suburbs" with some special lyrics just to fit the film.

Who? Mastadon, an American metal band
What? Jonah Hex High note It was generally thought that the music was the best bit about the film. The band were personally asked by the film's director Jimmy Hayward to compose to score.

Who? Bob Dylan
What? Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid High note The film was rubbish but the song Knockin' on Heaven's Door, which Dylan wrote for the film, was and still is huuuuuuge.

Who? Quincy Jones
What? In Cold Bold High note Jones was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He was nominated twice in that year.

Who? Herbie Hancock
What? 'Round Midnight High note Not only did he act in the film, but the soundtrack he wrote won an Academy Award for Original Music Score.

Who? Prince
What? Purple Rain High note Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the soundtrack of "Purple Rain" which, once released, spent twenty-four consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was and still is a hugely popular album.

Who? Isaac Hayes
What? Shaft High note Hayes was the first African American to win an Academy Award of any kind, which he did for his composition of "Theme from Shaft" for the film.

Who? Paul McCartney
What? Give My Regards to Broad Street High note The film which he wrote and starred in was pretty terrible, but the song "No More Lonely Nights" became a hit and proved he should just stick to the day job.